Astrology by Hand

A column by Robert Hand

Evidence the Mind Is Linked to the Chart

Let’s look some more at the ideas introduced last week concerning the mind and
the chart. We know a couple of things: The last aspects the
Moon made in a horary chart describe energies passing away, and
therefore, they should describe the past. When this is the case,
we know that the applying aspects of the Moon describe what is
coming with regard to the question. We also know that in general, the
chart should show some kind of relationship to the chart of the person
asking the question, such as a similar Ascendant or one that strongly
connects to important points in the birth chart of the one asking the
question, or something of the kind. Also, the chart should reveal the
general nature of the question and the environment that leads up to
it.

If a chart has all of these features, the astrologer can
assume that the chart will answer the question and it is only up
to the skill of the astrologer to answer it correctly. (This is
one of those very big “only” statements!) If the
chart lacks several of these confirming qualities, it is a sign
that the chart will not answer the question, and, as I have said, this
is due to something wrong in the mind of the questioner. The questioner
may not have a clear idea of the issues involved, the questioner may be
confused, the questioner may not have a very strong involvement with the
issues of the question, and so forth.

The Mind Is Active in the Process

Here is my key point. If the mind were simply the passive
object of the effects of the planets and zodiac, then there is no
way that this could be true. The chart would always have to show
the question clearly because it would force the
questioner’s mind to adapt to the nature of the planetary
arrangements. But instead we have this: It may be putting it too
strongly to say that the mind of the questioner affects the
arrangements of the planets, but it is certainly true that the
mind of the questioner can choose (at least unconsciously) to be
or not to be “in tune” with the planetary arrangements.
And the clarity of the chart in making a statement about the question
is a statement about the mind of the questioner, rather than a cause of
the state of the mind of the questioner. The mind has to “reach
out,” so to speak, to the heavens and choose a moment that
accurately makes an astrological statement about its
intention.

Is Astrology Related to Magic?

When we passively observe phenomena at a symbolic level in
order to get an idea of what is going on around us, such as
anaylizing the flight of birds or the entrails of sacrificial
victims (a style of pination that has fortunately gone out of
date), and the like, we are doing a passive form of pination.
When we shuffle a deck, or throw coins for an I-Ching pination,
we are more actively involved. Many people think that some kind of
“field” surrounds the questioner that controls the
arrangement of the cards or the falling of the coins, and thereby
the questioner becomes actively involved in the answering of the
question.

However, it is much more difficult to believe that a
questioner can affect the movements of the planets. These are
programmed into the nature of the cosmos by arrangements that
long predate any questioner. Yet the ability of some faculty of
the mind to link or not link itself to the cosmos in order to
answer a question goes beyond passive pination. It becomes an
active form of pination like cards or the I-Ching. The intention
of the questioner becomes something like a magical force that determines
the efficacy of the pination. The only problem is exactly what is meant
by “magical,” outside of the obvious notion that it involves
some kind of active power on the part of the questioner.

This is something that I will be dealing with over the next
several weeks. For the moment, we just have to leave it at this:
Critics of horary astrology have been correct in saying that
horary is more akin to magic than any other branch of astrology.
My quarrel with these critics is that they have raised this as an
objection to astrology. I am going to be arguing that this is a
central point. If we were to understand what lies at the base of
magic, we would not have a problem with the magical foundations
of astrology.

I will talk about this more next week. Then I will ask
the question of whether natal astrology is like horary in this
regard or not.

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About Robert Hand

Robert Hand is one of the world's most famous and renowned astrologers. He takes a special interest in the philosophical dimensions of astrology and is quite dedicated to computer programming. Currently he is fully engaged for Arhat Media as an editor, translator and publisher of ancient astrological writings. Rob Hand lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Rob is an honor graduate from Brandeis University, with honors in history, and went on for graduate work in the History of Science at Princeton. Rob began an astrology practice in 1972 and as success came, he began traveling world wide as a full time professional astrologer. In 2013, he was designated as a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) by The Catholic University of America.

As one of the largest astrology portals WWW.ASTRO.COM offers a lot of free features on the subject. With high-quality horoscope interpretations by the world's leading astrologers Liz Greene, Robert Hand and other authors, many free horoscopes and extensive information on astrology for beginners and professionals, www.astro.com is the first address for astrology on the web.